Claremont High School Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Why it's listed
Residential streets north of downtown Hickory, North Carolina, hold a mix of houses built between about 1900 and 1959, extending the Claremont High School neighborhood northward to Eighth Avenue. Most are one- to two-story frame or brick dwellings on smaller lots than the original district, reflecting growth after the 1920s. Styles include Craftsman bungalows, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival Period Cottages, Dutch Colonial, Minimal Traditional and Ranch houses. Notable examples include a 1920s stuccoed Spanish Colonial Revival house on First Street NW and the Lester Gifford House, designed by architect Robert L. Clemmer on a nearly three-acre wooded lot. The 1959 three-story addition to Claremont High School, built to relieve overcrowding, is also included. The area is significant for its architecture and for its connection to the high school, which was the city's third public school and drew growth from Hickory's manufacturing boom.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that the expansion area contains a wide range of popular early and mid-twentieth-century residential styles and architect-designed houses, which extends the period of significance of the original district to 1959. It also argues the area is significant in education for its connection to Claremont High School, which the nomination describes as the third public school in the city's system.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 09001103, listed December 18, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 505-753 N. Center St., 102-126 and 401 2nd ave NE, 406-602 3rd Ave. NE, 12-118 5th Ave. NW, 212-258 5th Ave., Hickory |
|---|---|
| County | Catawba County |
| Listed | December 18, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09001103 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca. 1900-1959 |
| Architect / builder | Clemmer, Robert L. - architect; Herman, Quince Edward - architect; Gylleck, Elmer - architect; M. G. Crouch Lumber Company - builder |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Craftsman, Tudor Revival, Period Cottage, Minimal Traditional, Ranch, Dutch Colonial, Spanish Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 48.2 |
| Within district | Claremont High School Historic District |
| Coordinates | 35.73856, -81.33673 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 09001103.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18148978
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.